Columbus Urban League Feb. 9 statement on bond reduction for former officer

“In years to come, the events of 2020 and 2021 will be remembered as some of the worst experiences of racial injustice in American history. How many lives must be lost, how many unarmed Black men and women strangled or shot by police officers, how much more violence and grief must occur before our justice system wakes to the truth that it is seen as everything but just by people of color?

“Adam Coy deserved a high bond. His crime is extraordinary. He shot an innocent, unarmed man and he did so while wearing a badge. He was a trained law enforcement officer. We should set higher standards for people who are afforded a higher level of public trust. The argument that this bond was excessive compared to others leads to a simple response that other wrongs don’t make this one right. We should have done more in those other cases, not lower the standard in this one.

“Today’s decision represents yet another cut, another blow to a gaping wound that cannot heal without dramatic reform to our criminal justice system.”